The Automatic Champion

"Babe" Didrickson Zaharias was a phenomenal athlete. This Texan ran, jumped, rode horses, and played basketball and baseball-with tremendous flair.

In the Olympic tryouts in 1932, she won five first places in track and field events. In the games of that year in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the women's 80 meter hurdles, a gold medal in the javelin throw, and a silver medal in the high jump.

After the Olympics, Zaharias turned to golf. Although she started from scratch, she won the National Women's Amateur and the British Women's Amateur.

The press hailed her as a "natural athlete." They often referred to as an "automatic champion."

But the real story behind Zaharias fairy-tale success was her painstaking diligence. Her success came from studied repetition. In every sport she undertook, she was methodical, deliberate, and persistent. She was neither "natural" nor "automatic."

When, for example, she played golf for the first time, she did not automatically master the game. Instead she studied the game carefully, covering all its complex skill sets, under the tutelage of the finest golf teacher she could find. She looked at all the elements of the golf swing, broke it down into parts, then put it all together in a fluid movement.

Besides using an analytical approach to understand the game, Zaharias also locked the information into her motor nervous system through exhaustive practice. She would spend as many as 12 hours a day on the golf course, hitting as many as a thousand balls. Her hands would often becomes so sore that she could hardly grip her club. She stopped only long enough to tape up her hands before picking up the club again.

Zaharias learned to play golf the right way. She started out by hiring an exceptional teacher. She analyzed each part of the golf swing then put them all together in a fluid motion. She practiced for about 12 hours a day. She exercised self-discipline and self-sacrifice. And she didn't doubt herself. Her previous successes had created an enduring self-confidence. She believed that if she applied herself she would be a golf champion. She proved this belief true.

Zaharias took a risk. She risked her reputation as an athlete by trying something new. She also risked the time and money it cost her to perfect her new sport.

Above all, she was methodical in the way she went about inventing herself as a champion golfer. She chose a gifted teacher, studied all aspects of the game, and put her new knowledge into practice, converting theory into motor learning, coordination, and stamina.

Resource Box

Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life

Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article.

---

A Look At The Years of Celebrities Wearing Jewelry

As far back as one can remember famous celebrities have been wearing the jewelry made by famous jewelry designers. Through out many eras and many styles the celebrities and jewelry designers have held... Read More

Your Stars 2

Leo Some tragic news hits you hard and makes you re-evaluate your entire life. Use this opportunity to think long and hard about the direction you are taking. It's also a great excuse... Read More

Spain?s Flag - A Red And Yellow Beauty

Spain?s flag (the national one) is as colorful as the country itself with its red and yellow horizontal triband.The yellow stripe is in the middle and is twice as tall as each red... Read More

Egyptian Handmade Perfume Bottles

Blown glass, a very ancient technique, is the oldest among the handicrafts. It is said by some, that ancient Egyptians were the original inventors of glass making techniques. Production of metallurgy and faience... Read More

When Does Man Become God?

Some scientists argue over creation and evolution and they argue did man create god or did god create man. And without that ongoing and predictable out of debate, lets discuss our scientific advancements.... Read More

Mexican Living: So You Want To Expatriate?

Expatriate wannebees often ask us how we managed our expatriation to Guanajuato, Mexico. They want to know how we overcame the seemingly overwhelming logistics of deciding where to live, if it's affordable, if... Read More

A Hidden Oriental Jewel: 100% Chinese Hand-Made Silk Embroidery

IntroductionDo you know what "silk embroidery is? Do you know what it looks like? Many people I come across in the U.S. are either unaware or unfamiliar with what silk embroidery is. Moreover,... Read More

Civil War Uniform Shirts ? When to Use a One and Two Piece Body!

So, you want to make your own Civil War shirt. You have so many decisions to make - one or two-piece body, type of front, buttons, material, colors, collars! Wow.A common pattern is... Read More

Rules of Noble Succession

Let me first say that the rules of noble succession, as they apply to a specific noble family, can normally not be changed. They are determined either by:1) the rules of succession laid... Read More

How To Get Rich and Die Quick!

It is funny how web site promotion can suddently plunge you into literary exploits...I am currently at work, my bosses left for the meeting so I can relax a little and perhaps even... Read More

History and the Cathars (Courtly Love):

This is an entry from my three volume encyclopedia.CRUSADES, CATHARS AND 'COURTLY LOVE': - One of the greatest legacies of the revitalization of the teachings of 'brotherhood' in the 13th century of the... Read More

Creating a Virtual Art Gallery

To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at first glance, to hear a recommendation to hold back work. The artist on the Internet often overproduces and displays their entire body of... Read More

Bureaucracy in Peru!

This article is from the pen of a New Zealander currently living in Lima, Peru.I have never experienced anything like this!This is not the first developing country I have ever lived in, The... Read More

When We Was Kids In Chicago (Part 2)

From an early age my Mother sent me to the schools, she thought, would do the best for my education. Whether or not, my Father agreed, mattered little. Of course, they were all... Read More

The Five Feng Shui Elements and Their Characteristics

Feng shui handles five main elements in order to achieve harmony and balance in any space. These five feng shui elements are: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each one of them has... Read More

Mars, the Mighty and Marvelous

Martius, the month of March, is named after him. So is the fourth planet from the sun and a bar of chocolate, but we know him mainly as the god of war.If you... Read More

The Automatic Champion

"Babe" Didrickson Zaharias was a phenomenal athlete. This Texan ran, jumped, rode horses, and played basketball and baseball-with tremendous flair.In the Olympic tryouts in 1932, she won five first places in track and... Read More

I, Ego, and Power

I: - A vowel that didn't appear in sacerdotal alphabets for which there is little, or should I say not one IOTA of, reason to hold up for personal glorification. The ego is... Read More

In Seach Of Heroes - Matrimonial Heroes (Part One)

Just as our arrival at destination is tied to the supply of fuel, even if we are travelling by a perfectly functioning vehicle, so are our destinies tied to the Heroes in our... Read More

My Introduction To Northwest Coast Native American Art

I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child and it was during that time when I was first exposed to the art of the Northwest Coast Native American Indians. It was... Read More

Basic Chinese Pinyin Rules

* Make sure you set your browser encoding correctly to read Chinese words in this article. Chinese Simplified GB2312 is recommended. Please find detail instruction from this page: http://www.learn-chinese-language-online.com/read-chinese-online.htmlTalking about Chinese Pinyin rules,... Read More

Her Last Day in Court

"Ron, I can't take much more of his sleazy behavior! I really don't think you are going to win this case for me anyway. I've lost everything; at least I can have the... Read More

Mexican Living: The Unexplained

The inexplicable bothers me. It always has. You know, the "Unsolved Mysteries" that plague mankind. I know I must have some brain damage from all the headache-inducing mysteries I have tried to figure... Read More

Precious Stones ? The Big Five - Part 3 The Sapphire

The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth, bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and birthstone for the month of September, is in fact the same stone as... Read More

Troubadours

CHRETIEN DE TROYES:Academics will freely admit that this man was a troubadour. But what is a Troubadour? They were important to the genesis of the Cathar mystique for a certainty and the Princeton... Read More

How to Clean Your Civil War Uniform

How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day Confederate or Union soldier's uniform was actually never made to be washed. They wore out so fast that many of them were never... Read More

Chinese Tattoos - Meaning of Chinese Dragon Tattoos

Chinese Tattoos have always been hugely popular. At one stage they were the realm of criminals and the mafia. Now it seems even Hollywood celebrities seem to have caught on to the mystery... Read More

Body Jewelry and Todays Stars

Body jewelry and body piercing practices have been observed by various groups of people all over the world throughout the centuries. For some tribes it is a rite of passage, for others it... Read More

Archaeology and Spirit Guides

One of the northern derivatives of Hopewell of interest to a few scholars is the anomalous Effigy Mound culture of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. The remains attract attention because of the range of... Read More